This article got me interested to learn more. There's a related phenomenon called the Rydberg Blockade[1], wherein a group of Rydberg atoms can be tuned to multiple quantum states and because of their large radii, form a coverage area over space in which those quantum states are excluded for other particles (by Pauli exclusion?). There's work to create large arrays, 1D and 2D of tens to hundreds of elements, of Rydberg atoms with packed configurations that can be continuously replenished atom-by-atom. This bit is being used for optical coupling in quantum computing[2].

But this got me wondering... does this mean that such a 2D array of Rydberg atoms, continually replenished, could effectively operate as an energy capturing force field? I'm imagining a surface that for a given maintenance energy is minimally dense while maximally extensive in space, and medium duration (the Rydberg excitations last longer the more they're pumped, e.g. micro and milliseconds). Also because of the dipole coupling and high-frequency tunability (~100s of atoms in packed arrays < 1s again see 2), it could be quickly restored from perturbation.

If so, this seems to present a candidate for energy capture from photonic emissions in e.g. fusion reactions, but crucially, one that could be maintained without large amounts of mass or that mass ablating away. That might make a handy energy shield for a spaceship fusion engine (I believe that's a key problem for small fusion engine designs), esp if you could recycle the captured energy :)

[1] https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/atomopt/rydberg-atoms/ [2] Quantum Simulators and Processors Based on Rydberg Atom Arrays https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MXIVZLaCII